"I wish to never face you again in my f*cking life" - Alexander Bublik to Hubert Hurkacz at Canadian Open after 3rd consecutive loss

Alexander Bublik sufferred an opening round loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Canadian Open on Tuesday, August 8, prompting the Kazhak to make light of his third loss in a row to the latter.

The Pole broke early in the match and took the first set 6-3. Bublik upped his game in the second set and took it to a tie break. However, with quick responses and a tactical game, Hurkacz sealed his victory in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(2).

This is the third time that the two players have locked horns on-court this year, with the World No. 17 coming out on top for the third consecutive time. They first fought a three-set battle in Round Robin of the United Cup in Australia and later faced each other in the semifinals of the Marseilles Open.

Tennis TV took to Twitter to share a clip of the winning point from the match and the two players coming on to the net, shaking hands and hugging each other. Following the friendly exchange, Bublik, in reference to his third consecutive loss, can be heard saying that he never wants to face Hurkacz again on-court.

"I never want to face you again in my f*cking life," Bublik said.

Bublik's mock frustruation elicited a laugh from Hurkacz while the duo shook hands with the chair umpire.

Hurkacz will next face Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round of the tournament.

Hubert Hurkacz to clash with Miomir Kecmanovic in R2 of the Canadian Open

Hubert Hurkacz at the 2023 Citi Open

Hubert Hurkacz will lock horns with Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round of the 2023 Canadian Open on Wednesday, August 9.

The Pole has had a lukewarm season so far. He started strong, reaching as far as the fourth round of the Australian Open and claiming his first title of the year at the Open 13 Provence. However, the 26-year-old had inconsistent clay and grass swings, his best being the third round of the French Open, the semifinals at Stuttgart and the third round at Wimbledon.

Back on hardcourts, the World No. 17, who was the runner up in last year's edition of the tournament, will now be eyeing his second title of the season.

Miomir Kecmanovic will come into the match on the back of a three-set victory over Cristian Garin in the previous round. While a title has eluded the Serb so far this season, he made it to the finals of the Estoril Open and the Delray Beach Open.

This will be the first on-court encounter between Hubert Hurkacz and Miomir Kecmanovic .